Monday, October 27, 2025

West Ham v Brentford: Premier League – live

M<strong>inute-by-minute report:</strong> Can the hosts pick up their first home points of the season in an east v west London derby? Join Niall McVeigh

West Ham v Brentford: Premier League – live

8.59pm BST “I know we’re not even a quarter of the way into the season, but it already looks like West Ham (and Wolves) have booked their relegation spots,” writes Richard Warwick. “If one of the top clubs come sniffing with a decent lump of cash in January, would Bowen and/or Paqueta jump ship?” 8.58pm BST Half time: West Ham 0-1 Brentford And with that tiny crumb of comfort in his pocket, Nuno heads down the tunnel. Brentford have been really good, West Ham have been rubbish, and could easily have been further behind. But they’re not, so there’s still hope. 8.57pm BST NO GOAL! Thiago is offside A mighty reprieve for the hosts as Thiago is ruled offside by VAR. No semi-automated technology tonight – it’s not working – so the much-loved red and green lines are back. 8.55pm BST GOAL? Thiago nods a long ball back to Damsgaard, who splits the West Ham centre-backs with a through ball, allowing Thiago to lift the ball over Areola for his second goal of the night. But wait – there’s an offside check … Updated at 8.57pm BST 8.54pm BST 50 mins: The corner is half-cleared, and Summerville’s attempted ball back in goes beyond everyone. Still, at least they’re only 1-0 down, right. Right?! 8.53pm BST 49 mins: Ooof! Easily West Ham’s best chance of the half as Bowen goes for goal and forces a strong save from Kelleher, down to his right. 8.52pm BST 47 mins: West Ham will at least have to be more ambitious in the second half, and they are a little more positive here. Bowen is brought down by Ajer, but no free kick is forthcoming. 8.49pm BST 44 mins: There was a handball check on Schade, but it’s cleared by the VAR. There’ll be six minutes of added time, and West Ham will do well to go in just one goal behind. 8.47pm BST GOAL! West Ham 0-1 Brentford (Thiago 42') A long ball up to Schade has West Ham all over the place, Kilman kicking at thin air, and despite losing the ball briefly, Schade is able to square it to Thiago. Areola gets a good hand to his shot, but it loops meekly into the far corner. Igor Thiago of Brentford scores his team’s first goal. Photograph: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images Updated at 8.52pm BST 8.45pm BST 42 mins: Another corner fizzes across goal, Thiago again half an inch from nodding it home. But never mind … 8.44pm BST 40 mins: This long series of set-piece tests continues with another long throw. It’s cleared as far as Yarmoluk, whose attempted shot is so bad, he ends up trapping the ball. 8.42pm BST 39 mins: Ajer, playing as a makeshift left-back, wins a corner off Ollie Scarles. The cross is right on Ouattara’s head with West Ham defenders static, but he can’t steer his header on goal. Updated at 8.43pm BST 8.40pm BST On boycotts, Tim Stappard says: “Owners don’t care about their fans at all, and you can no longer really hurt them financially. They’d rather have tourists in anyway, not season ticket holders who don’t buy anything from the store.” 8.39pm BST 37 mins: Bowen breaks away at speed but is let down by a lack of options around him. 8.39pm BST 36 mins: Todibo gets across well to dispossess Ouattara, but concedes a throw in. This time, Paqueta is there to thunk it away at the near post. 8.38pm BST 34 mins: Summerville scraps at Collins’ heels as the Brentford defender tries to shepherd it out, and he’s penalised. Still, the ball briefly left the West Ham half. 8.36pm BST 32 mins: Thiago has another chance with a header which Walker-Peters blocks at the near post, and another penalty box scramble sees Ouattara’s flick spin just wide of goal. I’m not sure how Brentford haven’t scored yet. 8.35pm BST 31 mins: Brentford are going for the jugular here, West Ham so disorganised they allow Mikel Damsgaard a free header, which Areola does well to tip away. 8.34pm BST 30 mins: Brentford hit the bar! Kayode’s throw is flicked on by Ouattara to Thiago, five yards out – who somehow steers his volley onto the crossbar! It looked easier to score. 8.33pm BST 29 mins: Ouattara’s shot is deflected behind for a corner, which is cleared for a throw in. No, that’s worse! 8.32pm BST 28 mins: West Ham do get a chance to break and Summerville bursts down the middle, chased by Yarmoluk. He goes down in the area, but the referee waves play on. There was contact, but it was initiated by the West Ham winger as he went to ground. 8.30pm BST 27 mins: It feels like Brentford are tightening their grip on this game, with West Ham largely sitting back as their opponents ping the ball around. 8.29pm BST 26 mins: Outtara gets to the byline and hooks the ball in. It’s behind off Soucek for a corner which the hosts clear, more through luck than judgement. 8.28pm BST 24 mins: Nathan Collins gets to the ball first, but can’t keep his header down. Brentford, by the way, are in their third kit – which I’ll say is a very pale blue with peach and burgundy trim. It’s quite nice. 8.26pm BST 23 mins: West Ham briefly down to 10 as Soucek hobbles off, but he’s quickly back to defend a Brentford free kick … 8.25pm BST 22 mins: Soucek is down receiving treatment, allowing Nuno to have a word with his attacking players. 8.24pm BST 21 mins: West Ham were utterly incapable of defending at set pieces under Graham Potter, so these long throws from Kayode are a welcome test for Nuno. The latest one has Areola flapping, but they just about deal with it. 8.23pm BST 20 mins: Schade gets in a tangle with Scarles in the area and appeals for a penalty, but there’s nothing doing. 8.22pm BST 19 mins: A first half-chance for the hosts as Todibo nicks the ball from Damsgaard and finds Paqueta, in the false nine position. He flicks a pass to Bowen, whose hopeful effort across goal looked closer than it was on first viewing. 8.21pm BST 18 mins: Todibo hoofs it out for a throw-in, and signals to his fellow defenders to get ready. Kayode heaves it in and the ball ricochets to Thiago. The big striker can’t hook his shot on target, and is penalised for a high boot anyway. 8.19pm BST 16 mins: Both of these teams are set up to play on the break, but you can’t counterattack until someone attacks. Brentford have had more of the ball but it’s all a bit ponderous at the moment. 8.17pm BST 14 mins: Thiago holds the ball up well and finds Kayode, whose swinging cross almost connects with Schade. The visitors probably shading the first 15 minutes here. 8.15pm BST “I understand and support the boycott,” says Mary Waltz. “But it will only work if they keep it going all season. Owners don’t give a toss about what people like us think, unless we hurt their pocket. Then they listen.” 8.15pm BST 12 mins: Henderson looks for Schade with a long ball, but the reshuffled West Ham back line deal with it. Updated at 8.33pm BST 8.13pm BST 10 mins: Collins is caught on the ball and Fernandes suddenly has options – but opts to shoot rather than play it wide. His effort deflects behind, and the corner is cleared. 8.12pm BST 8 mins: Schade continues to offer nuisance value but can’t quite steer a looping header inside the far post. 8.11pm BST 6 mins: From pitchside, there are clearly a few patches of empty seats around the stadium. The atmosphere also feels pretty flat after a rousing start. 8.07pm BST 4 mins: Brentford look to hit on the break but Schade’s shot from a tight angle only ripples the side netting. A worry for the visitors, though, as long-throw machine Michael Kayode is down holding his knee. 8.05pm BST 3 mins: Irving then trots across to take the third corner from the other side, and this time Brentford get the ball clear. 8.04pm BST 2 mins: Irving takes the first corner, which is cleared for a second. His delivery looks to be looping beyond the far post, but Schade nods it behind just to be sure. 8.03pm BST 1 min: An early sign of intent from West Ham, with Summerville galloping down the right and earning a corner. 8.02pm BST First half Both sets of players take the knee before Andy Madley gets the game under way. 8.01pm BST Here we go! The players are out at the London Stadium, which looks pretty full to me. Can the hosts deliver a first home win here since February? 7.52pm BST “This could be fun,” writes Jeremy Boyce. “Nuno will surely get more of a tune out of the Hammers in the 10 days he’s had than Potter could have done in 10 years. Keith Andrews’ ‘pace and chaos’ could be the perfect foil for Nuno’s thoughtful approach. As a Leeds fan I’m already worrying about Friday night at Fortress (?) Elland and how Nuno will unpick us. 2-1 Hammers tonight.” 7.37pm BST More on that planned boycott, led by fan group Hammers United. They’ve called for fans to stay away tonight, in protest at the club hierarchy. “West Ham was built by working people who stood up for what’s right,” Andy McConnell, joint secretary of Hammers United, told the Evening Standard. “Boycotting this game is a stand in that same tradition — not against the players, but against years of incompetence and broken promises from the very top.” 7.33pm BST “We have good options and solutions, starting and on the bench” Nuno tells Sky. “It’s a great chance for us to connect with our fans,” he says, and brushes off concerns over a potential fan boycott tonight. On Brentford, he adds: “a very good team, same threat as under Thomas Frank, very dangerous on set pieces.” And will Bowen lead the line? “You’ll find out in an hour!” He seems in a good mood, at least. 7.19pm BST Brentford’s last away game – a 3-1 defeat to Fulham – was exactly a month ago, and since then they’ve beaten Manchester United and lost to City at home. Appearing on Monday Night Football, Keith Andrews reveals he is going with three up top, having largely used a 5-3-2 setup in recent games. He also plans to continue embracing pace and chaos, telling Sky “we handle it better than a lot of other teams”. 7.15pm BST Nuno has sprung some surprises in that line-up, with youngster Ollie Scarles in at left-back and Andy Irving making just his second Premier League start. With Niclas Füllkrug injured, it’s unclear who will start as centre-forward – my best guess would be Jarrod Bowen, but Summerville and Paquetá can also step in to that role. Updated at 7.32pm BST 7.06pm BST Team news West Ham (4-3-3): Areola; Walker-Peters, Todibo, Kilman, Scarles; Irving, Soucek, Fernandes; Summerville, Bowen (c), Lucas Paquetá.Subs: Hermansen, Wilson, Diouf, Mavropanos, Rodríguez, Magassa, Wan-Bissaka, Potts, Marshall. Brentford (4-3-3): Kelleher; Kayode, Collins (c), Van den Berg, Ajer; Henderson, Yarmolyuk, Damsgaard; Ouattara, Schade, Thiago. Subs: Valdimarsson, Henry, Pinnock, Jensen, Nelson, Carvalho, Onyeka, Lewis-Potter, Janelt. Referee: Andrew Madley (West Yorkshire) Updated at 7.14pm BST 7.00pm BST Catch up with the weekend’s key Premier League moments here: Related: Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action Updated at 7.09pm BST 7.00pm BST Preamble Welcome to the Nuno Zone. West Ham, the team currently managed by Nuno Espírito Santo, kick off here 19th in the table, sandwiched between two other clubs he previously managed – Wolves and Nottingham Forest, where the wheels have fallen off spectacularly since he left just under six weeks ago. Nuno might still look like the man who walked away unscathed from an escalating bin fire, but West Ham’s next four games might be crucial if he is to do what everyone expects and carry them clear of danger in a sensible fashion. They face four of the five teams immediately above the Nuno Zone with a trip to Leeds before home assignments against Newcastle and Burnley. Turning around West Ham’s awful home form is top of Nuno’s to-do list: almost a month into his tenure, this is his first game in charge at the London Stadium. Tonight’s opponents at least have an equally poor away record – no points from three games, including a defeat to Nuno’s Forest in the distant fog of August. Head-to-head form is very much in Brentford’s favour, though: in eight Premier League meetings, West Ham have won just once. Keith Andrews’ side will also sense a chance to move away from danger tonight. Kick-off: 8pm BST.